Pigs

Not only farmers kept pigs. Many villagers also raised one in their back yard.

Prize-winning Cumberland sow

The Cumberland pig was the usual pig kept for killing, but because the bacon was so fatty the breed became extinct and the Large White and the Landrace became popular.

Landrace Pig

Large White Pig

Once a year a butcher came to butch one of the pigs, which kept the farm in ham, bacon and lard to last all year. This happened in a cold weather month (a month with an ‘r’ in it). As there were no fridges, the flitches of bacon and hams, cured in salt, were kept on sandstone shelves. Black pudding and yards of sausage were made.  Some of the excess was given to neighbours and they in their turn, at their pig killing time returned the kindness.

Adapted from 'Plain People'
Holme St Cuthbert History Group, 2004